Prawns Diabolo recipe - with a massive hit of garlic and chile

Serves 4 as a main course

Preparation: 10 minutes.  Cooking: 15 minutes. 

This is one of the main courses I served up at a dinner party recently, along with Prawns in Creamy Guajillo sauce and Sea bass Veracruz style. I wanted to showcase contrasting flavours from the Mexican culinary repertoire and I think I managed. 

The Diabolo sauce is fiery and garlicky and really packs a punch. One of my dinner guests said that the sauce was reminiscent of Vindaloo curry in terms of the spice and pungency of flavour. 

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed 
• 2 dried guajillo chiles, toasted,  soaked for 30 min in hot water then drained and ripped into small pieces 
• 6 large peeled cloves garlic 
• 3 large tomatoes 
• A handful of fresh coriander 
• A big glug of olive oil 
• 4 shallots chopped (or 1 large onion) Large raw prawns - allow 5 to 8 per portion dependant upon size
• 125ml white wine 
• 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
• Juice of half a lime
• salt and pepper to taste 

Method

1. Put the jalapeno peppers, Guajillo peppers, tomatoes, coriander and garlic into a food processor or blender and whizz it up to a thick paste. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan or wok. 
3. Fry shallots until soft. 
4. Add the tomato and chile mixture, white wine, lime juice and chipotle paste to the pan
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. 
6. Add salt and pepper to the sauce, to taste. 
7. Add the prawns to the sauce and simmer until they are pink and cooked through - this will only take a few minutes. 

Serve over boiled rice.